


discretion

by thethrillof



Category: The Batman (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 09:12:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11871183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thethrillof/pseuds/thethrillof
Summary: a villain by a statue, a professor walking by.





	discretion

It doesn’t happen often, but Langstrom notices when it does. He’s likely the only one to, how late he keeps himself in his office in the science department, where he has to pass the statue to get to his car. A memorial for the past University President of Gotham University, and the best it ever had according to the inscription. 

He never had reason to give it attention, and he likely never would have, until he spotted the tall form standing in front of it one spring night.

Professor Langstrom had nearly passed him before noticing the hair, and it took a few seconds of staring to realize it  _was_  who he thought. He didn’t look nearly so spindly wrapped up in a large jacket.

He didn’t seem to notice, and so he hurried on, pretending he hadn’t, either. It didn’t matter. It was late, he probably saw a student, that’s all—

It happens again, a month later. And again, two after that. Both times he takes an alternate route instead, all the way around campus, heart in his throat. 

Kirk dares to look up the rogues’ activity, and…the Riddler seems inactive. Nothing was popping up besides the occasional panicked article or two that stirred up when someone remembered he was loose, or wanted to take a shot at the Batman’s ‘ineffectiveness’.

Langstrom stops every time before he entirely leaves the science building, eyeing the statue, until he sees if Riddler is standing sentinel or not. If not, he simply walks out. He tells himself he’ll think about if he does see him when he gets home, but that doesn’t actually happen, and one nearly-summer night he stops and sees him again.

If he’s caught there, Langstrom will certainly be suspected. Two supervillains seen together in public would be a nightmare, even though he isn’t anymore, and he had seen Riddler and ignored him before. If there was any hint that he'd been covering for a current escapee he’d be ruined, despite his unexpected brilliance at teaching.

He clutches at his cell phone in his pocket and keeps watching.

Riddler is hard to see, but he sees his silhouette seem to shrink. It takes the professor a moment to realize his head is bowed as low as it can go.

Langstrom himself isn’t hard to recognize. Scruffy albino, former supervillain; he’d had the police called on him a few times just for being seen. He  _hates_  it, even as he understands why, and he never fights, just comes quietly and explains at the police department.  It’s exhausting, and he’s always terrified if he makes any kind of misstep, he’ll be caged in the hell that is Arkham Asylum again. But even that’s only a 'might'. Commissioner Gordon is a good man, at least, and Langstrom usually finds his way out within the hour.

Riddler isn’t like him, in that he’d gone through batteries of tests to be deemed _fit_.

But no matter how long he waits, it's still clear that Riddler isn’t…doing anything. 

Kirk pulls his hand from his pocket and leaves; he finally chooses to take the way he normally does.

He catches a sharp movement out of the corner of his eye once he passes the statue. He was steeling himself the moment he stepped from the science building; he doesn’t look. He doesn’t say anything.

He isn’t shouted at, he isn’t hit by any technological electrified or simple-but-effective blunt weaponry. He holds his breath, waiting for the shoe to drop as soon as he gets home, but time goes by and doesn’t notice any attacks to his computer or his reputation in the next few weeks.

Eventually...he believes himself when he says it's alright when he sees the shape outside. 

Nobody needs to know. Things are as fine as they can be.


End file.
